ONE HIT WONDERLAND: "One Tin Soldier" by Coven

[@cuiien]

Hi, I'm Chris Neilsen's (the guitarist's) daughter (Oz is actually also my godfather). I like the video and I'm a big fan of your reviews. Just wanted to add that the reason Coven kind of fizzled out after One Tin Soldier's release was largely due to legal issues with the band's then manager, Tom Laughlin. It was a mess and the band members really got screwed (they don't receive any royalties for this song, for one thing). It also had a huge hand in their breakup afterward. Also, I cannot speak to Jinx Dawson's beliefs because I never really got to know her, but I can say with absolute certainty that the satanism/witchcraft/occult stuff was always totally theatrical for my dad. He never actually practiced any of it (nor did Oz, the bassist), and always viewed it as a gimmick. I've always been told that Jinx actually was the first one to do the 'devil horns,' though. I love your videos and I think it's awesome that you chose to cover this band! Thanks for all your great work.

[@Vampireduckling]

Thank you, that was a good addition to the video. Can't say I like this song, but the older stuff sounded pretty cool.

[@BDLabs2]

ToddintheShadows needs to see this!

[@ministerofdarkness]

🤘🏼

[@timkramar9729]

Tom Laughlin? Wasn't that the name of the actor who played Billy Jack, the place I'd heard this song?

[@chrismulwee4911]

@PrinceMario From what I have heard of their music it doesn't really sound like metal, but more like psychedelic rock. /but the group never liked either label

[@Madriddler]

I just realized... the papers on Todd's piano is his script.

[@SadistModeOn]

Joey Allen that... is so brilliant! I just naturally expect there to be sheet music papers on a piano so I never even thought about it

[@neoman289151]

THE ILLUSION IS RUINED!

[@doughboydevito4529]

Joey Allen I actually thought I was the only to notice that until you mentioned it.

[@goldyd144]

Joey Allen It makes sense. If you've seen the Nostalgia Critic's crossover movies, Todd's not the best actor.

[@mattboyer3385]

Joey Allen that's smart it doesn't look like it's a script when it's on your piano

[@jacobfelger5684]

At the time I am writing this, there are 18 people who disliked the video. Now, I'm not trying to start rumors, but maybe, just maybe, those 18 were valley people.

[@patricklauer4452]

Jacob Felger now 108 there’s a lot of mountain people

[@johnkoch9315]

I think the idea is that the mountain people do consider it a treasure because they're "enlightened" but the valley people can't accept it because as we have reiterated valley people are the worst

[@Hyreia]

Yeah, that's about what I got too. The Mountain people think this is their highest prized treasure because of the message on it but the Valley people just don't get that it's not a treasure because of its physical value but just what it means to them. I think the point the song is saying is NO treasure is worth bloodshed. To get what others had they slaughtered an entire people and they realize only now their actions weren't justified.

[@maskofice9432]

Glad to see that's not just me. I've been a fan of this song for a while, and that's always what I've gotten out of it. And while it's a bit less clear, I think the valley people still attacked because they wanted all the treasure, and in the song the mountain people describe "sharing' the treasure.

[@leonardorossi1261]

The valley people were postmodern. They killed the mountain people for the unforgivable crime of confusing the message with the mean it was conveyed. Can't really blame 'em.

[@brettjohnson536]

Basically, the mountain people are idiots, and the valley people are arse holes. That actually makes it more relevant than I thought...

[@ThatGuyfromBrazil]

@@maskofice9432 Personally, I think this song is actually delightfully cynical? What I got is that the treasure meant more for the mountain people because of what it represented, it was a treasure for its emotional value, and the mountain people overall were enlightened and wise enough to turn the other cheek. After all, "peace on Earth" starts when you are kind to your neighbor and stuff, so they gave the valley people that chance. But because the valley people represent every scumbag who thinks they can justify horrible crimes on things like religion and the "common good", they still chose the violent approach to affirm their superiority and dominance over the mountain people for being "weak" and letting them invade. So in summary, what I got is that this is a song about how true peace on Earth will only come when we understand and fraternize with each other, but we're incapable of doing so because there's still too many of us who are greedy and hypocritical to the point of justifying things like slaughter and pillaging on religion and wellfare. One Tin Soldier remains because it's the image of what war and fighting for these selfish gains ultimately ends up on: misery and wasted opportunities for peace.

[@AnimeAmericaPodcast]

This reminds me of Schoolhouse Rock.

[@katiek2615]

Anime America I was thinking the same thing!

[@MrKenichi22]

Anime America I agree, I saw this cartoon on the sonny & cher show, but cher did it and the original song sounds nearly identical. (that Canadian group I cannot remember)

[@SavageGreywolf]

Schoolhouse Rock was way more metal than One Tin Soldier

[@SteeleZack]

@@MrKenichi22 The only Canadian hippie band I can think of is The Guess Who

[@MrKenichi22]

Zack Steele They were Canadian but they weren’t hippies, their cover gets flashed on the covers list.

[@suddenlycrows]

Ironically, we used that song during a Christian retreat and it was supposed to be inspirational. I laughed when you told us Coven was a devil worshipping metal band.

[@TheProfessor529]

Reminds me of the time The Trinity Broadcasting Network booked a live feed of the band Justice. Because their big album at the time was called 'Cross' and had a cross on the cover. Always do your research, kids.

[@RatelHBadger]

And yet back in the day they had a problem with Stryper. A pretty clean and middle of the road sounding metal band that actual sang Jesus songs... TBN people are idiots.

[@sarahmiller7965]

Same!!!

[@valmarsiglia]

Back in the 70s, when the Catholic church was trying to get all hip, two of my aunts sang George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" during mass, including the "Hare Krishna" part -- nobody including my aunts had any idea what they were singing.

[@riahlexington]

That’s funny

[@cherrypopscile3385]

Imagine Jinx making a deal with some demon and the terms are something like: "Your first album will be extremely influential to a new occult genera, even your bassists name will be legendary! But you will only have one true hit." Think about it. Black Sabbath is an insanely influential name from their first album, Oz Osborn is a household name because of a black sabbath, and they got a hit. Sure, It wasn't the same black sabbath or oz Osborn, and sure their hit was a cover, but still

[@julieporter7805]

Ah, I see what happened. Satan got the contracts mixed up and gave Coven's contract to Ozzy Osbourne and thus history was made. I mean honest mistake, two guys with similar names, a song called Black Sabbath and a group with the same name. The devil's a busy guy! He gets confused (or more than likely outsources jobs to lesser demons like Crowley which also makes perfect sense. 😝😎)

[@louisduarte8763]

Always gotta read the fine print in those contracts, even from Hell.

[@cheezemonkeyeater]

Demons. They'll get you every time.

[@CelestiaLily]

This song's super popular at this Christian camp I volunteered at. It sounded either immensely tragic or incredibly cheesy, there was no in-between. (The camp is Canadian, that probably explains it).

[@crazyluigi6664]

Irony at its finest, ladies and gentlemen.

[@mia234567]

I hope they do

[@bexett]

It was a staple at the chrisitan summer camp I went to as a kid. I think its in a songbook that is basically the christian-hippie-with-a-guitar hymnal.

[@LilCosgrove]

If the camp was Canadian, then they probably connect it with the original version by Original Caste, not Coven. That version plays on Canadian AC radio all the time; I'd never heard the Coven version until this video.

[@MGBait]

I remember singing this in music class in elementary school in Canada. Never realized until now how fringe it was compared to other pop hits.

[@firefly4f4]

I think the lyrics are implying that the valley people didn't want to SHARE the treasure; they wanted it all. Peace on earth, though, isn't something that you can have all by yourself, it has to be shared. Agreed about the horns, but I actually quite like this song.

[@mysteriiis]

That sounds about right. I'm quite fond of this song as well.

[@guaposneeze]

The mountain people weren't going to share with the valleyfolk. "With our brothers" they were willing to share, but the mountain people didn't consider the valleyfolk to be brothers. That's why the king was pointing into the castle when he talked about his brothers. Seriously, the analysis here is pretty shoddy. Anyhow, hail Satan.

[@comettamer]

Nailed it.

[@buttershy_]

I think it's actually poignant that Todd was so confused that they were fighting over a stupid rock. War leaders in real life make their people fight and die over things that are often so arbitrary and useless to them.

[@jb888888888]

@@buttershy_ Whad'ya mean "stupid?" Good old rock. Nothing beats that. Plus it keeps tigers away.

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

That 'Wicked Woman' song sounds amazing.

[@jables9229]

Try their whole first album, it's amazing start to finish.

[@mitchmartin831]

It absolutely is.

[@queenemma5823]

Right? Gives me Heart vibes

[@nickrowley5579]

Everything on that album is amazing. 😊

[@kelhard]

The Satanic Mass on the first album is so good. Hail Satan! nemA.

[@Gigas0101]

I always thought "tin soldier" was just a remark about a knight in shining armour could just be reduced to something as frail as broken man in mere tin.

[@julieporter7805]

That's a good analysis. I also thought maybe it was a metaphor for the phoniness of war too. The soldiers always make themselves look polished and shiny with new armor and new weapons, hoping that they will be thought of as heroes. When it's all just fake tin. They will get wounded, they will kill people for no reason at all except because they are told that they are a godless enemy, and they will get killed. It's all a fake lie that they bought into and paid for it with theirs and other's lives.

[@Squiddyyy]

"Go ahead and hate your neighbor! Go ahead and cheat a friend! Do it in the name of Heaven, you can justify it in the end!" I need these lyrics on a shirt...The only memorable part of the song personally.

[@SuperfieldCrUn]

*video opens, Todd builds up awesomeness of band* Wait for it... *shows video footage of them rocking out* Okay, little longer than expected, but it's coming... *continues to build them up* Almost there... *dinky tune starts playing* There we go. The only thing Todd ever builds up to are anti-climaxes, and that's what I love best.

[@julieporter7805]

I could watch Todd build up Coven's War Metal image only to become undone and drop the devil horns in confusion and despair by the flute intro all day. Definitely among my favorite Todd moments! I love it, like I said Billy Jack is one of my Mom's favorite movies and this is one of her favorite songs (at one point it was her ring tone). So I just go "3,2,1, 😝😆😆😝"

[@DestinyKiller]

​@@julieporter7805my mom also introduced me to Billy Jack and this song, she really liked it. I have to about that I do too lol but I'm glad I watched this because I didn't know their other music was drastically different and now I have another good band to listen to!

[@Bikebrh]

Nothing kills an artist's career than having your first hit not sound like what you actually do. (Joan Osborne says hi)

[@liimlsan3]

Deep Purple and Rush and Grateful Dead and Depeche Mode managed to change their sound after their first song, so that's not impossible. But like... Crazy Town, Joan Osbourne, way different.

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

@@liimlsan3 funny, Joan Osbourne toured with members of the Grateful Dead for a few years after Jerry Garcia's death. That lady has a cannon of a voice on her.

[@julieporter7805]

The Cardigans too had that problem.

[@louisduarte8763]

Thanks to reading the TVTropes page for Todd in the Shadows, I found the Trope name for what you described: New Sound Album. Happened to a few of Todd's Trainwreckords subjects, such as Billy Idol's "Cyberpunk".

[@canyounotmydude9155]

@@liimlsan3Filter is another example of a band that didn’t die from their biggest hit (“Take a Picture”) sounding completely different from their first hit and to this day second biggest (“Hey Man, Nice Shot”). Granted, those two songs are the only two with huge streams and chart success, but even then the band retained a consistent level of rock radio hits from the mid-90s to mid-00s

[@cool140000]

The treasure was having a highly defensible mountain top fortress.

[@sacrecharlemagne2262]

Not much of a treasure if they still lost to the Valley People. The Valley People are going to hold it for a generation or two until it's captured by the Plateau People because turns out it was a shit castle all along.

[@Lrripper]

@@sacrecharlemagne2262 Not if they upgrade it by destroying the rock and using it to upgrade the wall.

[@Firguy_the_Foot_Fetishist]

No, I'm sure the real highly defensible mountain top fortress was the friends we made along the way.

[@radioactivehalfrhyme]

“I have the high ground” was all it said…

[@legendswarble2845]

The first time I heard this song, my choir teacher sang it for us. We had to work hard and earn a solo performance from her, and then she pulled a guitar off the wall and sang this song. Something about the simple, quiet way she played it was very powerful. It made me really love music because I saw what an artist could do with a piece of music.

[@brianbowman6639]

A clear example of that trope where someone looking for a treasure finds it was something intangible. Normally I hate this trope, but here I think it works due to the bitterness that Todd notes. I actually think this is one of the better folky-hippie-peace-and-love songs, and the vocals are excellent.

[@kobalt_ren01]

The first use of "the horns" wasn't Dio, BUT IT WAS ME, JINX!

[@evapalma9899]

She is truly the godmother of metal. Anyone wanna fight me on that? Name another woman in proto metal with that much underrated impact, or another woman in proto metal for that matter.

[@xethified]

I'm just here to acknowledge your JoJo reference.

[@MadameKasumi]

So the Animaniacs were right... in Hell you have to listen to whiney hippy music for eternity.

[@dougbennett8592]

Whiney hippy music sung by a derpy Bob Dylan impersonator.

[@brainhamster]

animaniacs for eternity!!!!!!!

[@williamhestilow4021]

That and Disco. Alice Cooper went to hell at least three times and that is all he could find.

[@cpmcguire]

“Oh, I hate the government More than you and me The government stole my goldfish, And unplugged my TV”

[@kevinlitton1399]

William Hestilow doubt it. Alice Cooper's a born again christian.

[@Guzuma]

My mom was just watching Billy Jack on tv and when One Tin Soldier came on I told her the story of Coven. She said she’s loved the song since it came out and never knew about Coven’s background. It’s crazy to think how much their “satanic” past had been scrubbed from history.

[@baronofbahlingen9662]

#notallvalleypeople

[@aleksasavic219]

#yesallvalleypeople

[@mpmqbi]

You can't trust those goddam Seebs!

[@culwin]

#MakeTheValleyGreatAgain

[@culwin]

8bitdiedie Wow somebody missed the joke. Also, cops are killing black people which is totally not cool brah.

[@8bitdiedie]

culwin Cops are killing all races. Not need to focus on a singular race brah

[@astaraelsget]

Funnily enough, we used to sing this a lot at the church camp I went to as a kid. No clue why, considering that this song is, if anything, anti-religious, and the lyrics make zero sense.

[@REDDAWNproject]

astaraelsget camp encounter?

[@astaraelsget]

Nope, a small camp in VA named Phoebe Needles.

[@kimifw58]

The song seems more anti-hypocrisy, but it's vague.

[@Sewblon]

Maybe it would work for a pacifist sect?

[@8bitdiedie]

Surely it would teach religious people not to use their religion to harm people, which some camps would want to teach

[@dumbumbumbum8649]

When I was a kid, this song, puff the magic dragon, and cats in the cradle were like my favorite songs

[@nancyjones6780]

Cats, dragons and war....hmmm. but seriously I'm with you!

[@HolyGoddessMotherAnne]

i love cat's in the cradle, might make it a one hit wonderland subject.

[@kaimarie7823]

Yes!! And Yellow Submarine!

[@LaurasBookBlog]

Oh man, this is a trip and a half. I heard thing song at camp when I was a tween (we're Canadian, it's the law) and I was OBSESSED with it for a few years. It was just when the war in Iraq was kicking off, so it seemed very profound to me at the time. And yeah, as an adult I can recognize it's total cheese, but . . . I have a soft spot for hippie cheese.

[@REDDAWNproject]

Laura Em camp encounter?

[@mfitzburger5137]

yup, Glen Bernard represent

[@anthropophagistsomnambulis9872]

Saddest part is i feel Coven would've thrived in the late 70's NWOBHM scene, even though they're not British. I could see them touring with groups like 45 Grave and Saxon

[@Sam-go3mb]

They're big enough among fans of lost 70's classic albums, which is a community still going strong. They're colloquially thought of as the 'satanic Fleetwood Mac'.

[@Delightfully_Bitchy]

NWOBHM?

[@zufallig4377]

"New Wave of British Heavy Metal" And I agree... they would have gone well with Witchfinder General, although I thought a lot of Coven's first album had a "Jefferson Airplane meets Anton LaVey" vibe to it.

[@Delightfully_Bitchy]

@@zufallig4377 Thanks.

[@chrismulwee4911]

@@zufallig4377 I agree, that they were more psychedelic rock, than metal. Shucks, the only song of theirs, that, to me, sounds anything close to metal, is the title tune from Blood On The Snow, their third album. Some of their other stuff like (I Guess It's) A Beautiful Day Today, which was the flip side of the full band rerecording of OTS, sounds like psychedelic FOLK to my ears.

[@Phantomwise2]

I've never heard this song before so this really interested me. Like Todd said, the chorus is awesome. It took me a little while to warm up to the lyrics, but it's growing on me. Interesting to note from other commentators that Christian camps sing this song, but I can see why. From a Christian perspective, the mountain people are good Christians, who want to share their religion with everyone in a loving way. They purposefully call the rock a treasure (in a way, like Christians irl do with salvation) to entice people and get them interested in finding out what the treasure is. Which is why, they were like "Yes! Come in! We want to share!" The valley people are bad Christians, who want 'the treasure' of salvation all to themselves and judge or hate anybody who is not them; they use religion to justify their behavior instead of letting their faith inspire them to do good. They do, indeed, get their just reward of realizing that they have destroyed what they sought for so badly. It makes me wonder if the original song writers intentionally wrote it with a Christian perspective in mind. The Coven cover adds a fascinating angle to the story, just because of who they are. It turns this Christian fable into a cautionary tale about religion, no matter how you practice it. You either are the hateful believers who use their religion to abuse or you are naive believers who let their religion blind them to be abused. No one wins, except the one tin soldier who walked away from the conflict (from religion). I think this may be what appealed to them about the song in the first place. Anyway, I found the interpretations of this song fascinating and the band Coven, itself, is very interesting. It's disappointing that they had to change. Thanks for introducing me to the song, Todd.

[@StevenMW]

It's genius that Satanists did a song that skewers the warlike hypocrisy of religion/Christians, and Christians unwittingly embraced it, singing it in their camps w their children. 😂

[@julieporter7805]

I think it definitely takes some pot shots at Christianity and that's probably why Jinx chose to sing it. If what Todd says is true that she was raised in an occult practicing family and definitely into her adulthood and musical career, she certainly had a front row seat to Christian hypocrisy and judgement. Plus of course during the 60's and 70's when religious people were for the war and preventing Civil Rights, Women's Rights, and Stonewall was only a couple years prior. Yes there was probably a lot of bitterness who were speaking about God's love with one side of their mouths and dehumanizing people who weren't like them from the other side (Not unlike today in many ways).

[@courtneymcclarren9485]

My grandma actually sang this song to me for a lullaby when I was little. So it's got a special place in me.

[@NoirFan01]

Very hard to believe this wasn’t a number one single in 1971. It was playing on the radio all the time.

[@autumnphillips151]

Wikipedia says that it was named Number One All Time Requested Song in 1971 and 1973 by the American Radio Broadcasters Association.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

I can't believe the "cult following" joke got a callback 5 years later with the Mission Earth TRAINWRECKORDS

[@traitorminion]

A review of 99 Red Balloons by Nena would be neat!

[@riahlexington]

Omg please

[@grimjack148]

Yes!!!!

[@what-ym2mf]

Nena is not really considered a one hit wonder, at least not in Germany... Don't know about the US tho.

[@riahlexington]

what in the US yes I think so

[@Reagan1984]

@@what-ym2mf In the U.S it was. Besides 99 red balloons, Nena is a pretty unknown thing over here.

[@DissectingtheDisco]

This band should definitely be more well-known, considering how “satanic” their image was, as proven, before Black Sabbath. I always wonder how much more popular Coven would be if they kept making these wild albums.

[@NinjaTylerBlack]

I'm surprised that you always manage to find covers of even the most obscure hits

[@pseudofox]

Indeed!

[@iskandertime747]

That's Killdozer!

[@EpicB]

I'd hardly call this song obscure. It seems to have had a fairly long shelf life.

[@gwenc1371]

@drummerguy 85 Hell, I grew up with it in music class. Not sure this really counts as 'obscure' at all. Just a song with a very weird backstory that no one seems aware of.

[@wolfetom10]

Not obscure -- maybe not a #1 hit, but the song was featured in Billy Jack, a cheezy movie that was in fact a huge hit. I remember this popping up frequently on Top 40 radio circa 1970.

[@kevlikesmovies4442]

I've seen this episode a few times now, and I only just realized that he played the song in a minor key at the beginning to make it sound more sinister. Nice touch, Todd.

[@fireglo450music]

"They opened for The Yardbirds" is an exciting phrase

[@thevampirefrog06]

I was trying to figure out where I'd heard this song before, but then you played the Rob Paravonian clip and that was 100% the answer. I played the cello, man. Canon in D and Pomp & Circumstance continue to haunt me to this day. HE KNEW OUR PAIN.

[@bobbobinson11]

last time I came this early, gudda gudda didn't have his garbage bag

[@LordArikado]

*Grocery bag (Ooh!)

[@dyldragon1]

bob bobinson its Grocery Bag you uncultured fuck

[@markiplieroldaccount7892]

Call me mr. Grand Dad, I can make your bed rock.

[@megatennepster3833]

+Alden martin fellow siivagunner!

[@TSKyanite]

bob bobinson hi

[@jkgames5226]

Must watch quickly, before it gets taken down.

[@roddorfj]

This comment gets posted every time Todd uploads a video. Like 90% of his vids aren't taken down. This isn't funny anymore.

[@kyokyoniizukyo7171]

yus, must!

[@MaraRhodus]

Dude, it has Black Sabbath in it. It's probably going down.

[@AJUniverse]

+ Roddor I find it funny.

[@aaa1e2r3]

Really, it's just his countdowns that get taken down

[@nicoleseraphita7613]

I've been rewatching pinky and the brain, and the show actually had a whole episode devoted to parodying Billy Jack, complete with Pinky singing a parody of One Tin Soldier. It was a surreal experience, seeing such an obscure piece media being referenced in a kid's show from 1997.

[@WolfHreda]

This entire album is a delight. And I'm pretty sure Jinx Dawson was an actual witch, because she looked good for a *long* time after their heyday. Edit: The White Witch of Rose Hall is about a plantation owner in Haiti who murdered a *bunch* of her slaves. Just an interesting note.

[@julieporter7805]

Sort of a Haitian Delphine LaLurie sounds like a delight. 😉

[@samfeldstein4498]

I think what would have been more appropriate for Halloween was the song They're Coming to Take Me Away by one -hit wonder Napoleon XIV (his real name was Jerry Samuels) from 1966. Does anyone remember that song? Good luck finding clips of him though.

[@pseudofox]

That... that sounds like a damn good idea.

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

That sounds like the Funny Farm Song which I'm sure was a cover. Forgot the name of the person that covered it, though.

[@averagebritishguy7082]

I looked into this guy's career on my own time, and its INSANE. It took him 30 years to put out a second album.

[@JenxRodwell]

I do hope Todd is playing this up for the review, because One Tin Soldier is hardly *that* difficult to parse as a story. Still, this was such an educational episode - for one thing I had no idea Coven were, in fact, a coven!

[@wickedlester5320]

That animation just blew my mind. I was born in 1970 and I frickin remember that song.

[@SonofMrPeanut]

Fun Fact about Fine Arts Films (moreso its head animator John Wilson): They did the animated opening sequence for Grease.

[@NJGuy1973]

This was on "Freedom Rock." Therefore, we must always turn it up, man.

[@LizzyVonBloom]

"There are horror themed bands, but they tend to be no-hit wonders." Alice Cooper, White Zombie, and Marilyn Manson would all like a word with you.

[@silashinton6873]

The problem with your statement is that none of the people you mentioned are one hit wonders.

[@shaunandthebugs]

I wouldn't call Marilyn Manson a horror themed band

[@SithCats]

@@shaunandthebugs I mean, they are and they aren't. Their original name was Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids. The band members took part of their stage names from serial killers. There's definitely a creepy aspect to some of their songs and a lot of their videos at least from the early albums. They even covered "This is Halloween" from the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. So while they're not explicitly horror-themed in the way of Rob Zombie, it's there at least a little bit.

[@kentonkruger8333]

@@silashinton6873 No, the fact that they were multiple hit wonders doesn't make for any problems with his statement. Multiple hits songs means they are not "no-hit wonders". As to the original comment; with how many horror themed bands have tried their luck over the years (especially in the 80s), being able to find a few successful ones does not discount the tendency for them to be less than hit makers, and in fact most of them just suck.

[@phastinemoon]

What hits does Marilyn Manson have on the hot 100? Or White Zombie?

[@Starcat5]

Personally, I was always fond of this song back in my childhood due to the dark irony. The refrain, of course, but also the "With our Brothers" bit. "Poor Communication Kills", as TVTropes would later call it. The Valley People didn't see themselves as the brothers of the Mountain People, and thus read the reply as a rejection. ...and now I need to find a metal cover of this song. (My birthday is Oct. 30, making Halloween my Patron Holiday. The only reason I never went Goth in my teenaged years is because I grew up rural. There WERE no Goths in my area. One practicing Wiccan in my class, oddly enough, but no actual Goth culture.)

[@Starcat5]

I give up. I can not find a metal cover of this song. Folk covers, yes. Country covers, yes. Even a cover by Elvis himself. I know at least ONE cover exists due to the outro of this video, but said outro isn't credited, so I can't find it. If anyone else here knows where to look, let me know.

[@chriswren42]

It's by Killdozer, and on the youtubes.

[@kimifw58]

How old are you, if I may ask? I'm learning about goth culture myself, and I'd like to know about its presence in certain time periods and regions.

[@WhatRyansReading]

Wow, we sang that song at Church Camp. Like, it was a mainstay.

[@Flowtail]

I’m starting to think that church camp doesn’t encourage close examination of songs or something

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

Do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end. Lyrics check out.

[@gregorywiederecht]

@@Flowtail I'm afraid most religions don't encourage close examination of... anything!

[@rusbiedenstein6778]

Fuck yes!!!!!! Coven finally gets some recognition. I LOVE Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls, definitely in my top 10 favorite albums. Seriously. Wicked Woman, a great song. I definitely recommend listening to it at least 5 1/2 times.

[@futuristic.handgun]

That's an oddly specific number of times, lol.

[@TECH097]

Meanwhile my Christian ass struggles to NOT listen to it cuz on one hand yeah morally it's a song about a sinful woman reaping what she sews, on the other, LITERAL SATANIC BAND bleh, sadge.

[@griffinfiles8160]

Revisiting this because I just got the vinyl reissue of Witchcraft, Coven is awesome 🖤

[@projecteightysix]

Todd, I don't understand why your subscriber count is so small. I love every video you put up and get stoked every time one pops up in my feed. Keep it up, bro.

[@patrickmcmahon9324]

I love Jinx Dawson's voice. It's like a Grace Slick-Joni Mitchell mix. I'm into that, I don't know. Anyway, the song kind of reminds me of a rejected Schoolhouse Rock song.

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

God I thought I was the only one getting Joni/Grace vibes. Since those two are sone of my favorite singers, that's good.

[@TheEarthwormZodiac]

have you covered "You Get What You Give" by New Radicals on this segment yet?

[@alexsdemkin]

Yes

[@BabyLove578]

I don't think he has, If he has I haven't seen it

[@Hakajin]

I really wish he would; I love that song!

[@DankeDummkopf]

TheEarthwormZodiac No, not yet.

[@alexsdemkin]

Kosta Jovanovic I recall him covering it

[@MikeKiker]

Todd, just wanted to say thank you for introducing me to Coven. I had not heard of them before this review. And the "Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls" record is an underrated psychedelic masterpiece, with the exception of the 14 minute spoken-word "Satanic Mass" which closes the record. Total missed opportunity on their part by not putting music to the mass. It could've been an epic album closer. But, I must say that I have one huge problem with your review and that is your comment about psychedelic music being "flower child music" or "peace loving hippie music". Call me a bit of a stick in the mud or an aficiando of the genre if you must, but there's been great psychedelic music, not just rock, to come out of every decade since the 60's and there's great psychedelic music to be found prior to the rock era. It's a bit shortsighted to pigeonhole that word to one particular decade. Same goes for the so-called progressive rock bands or even some the early punk rock bands in the 70's. Psych, prog and punk, really go hand in hand with each other if you really look at the histories of the bands associated with them. They were and still are merely just tools used by the critics to easily identify something in music that is different or not easily identifiable. It's true that the word psychedelic was a 20th century invention, thanks to Humphrey Osmond and the subsequent championing of the word by Aldous Huxley & Timothy Leary. But by it's very definition, it can easily be associated with almost any kind of music before or since, not just 60's or 70's "hippie rock". Sun Ra and Igor Stravinsky are great examples of "psychedelic or progressive music" that predate the rock & roll era. In their day, they worked in what became known as jazz & classical, respectively, but their groundbreaking work did for their genres what say... The Beatles or Jefferson Airplane, did for rock & roll among others. The overall idea of psychedelic & progressive is to explore new ideas & push boundaries. So by that definition, Coven, and even Black Sabbath, can be considered psychedelic or progressive, to a degree. It's not always about hippies and LSD or, in the case of prog rock, complex music for the sake of complexity. There's a lot more to it than that. And even musicians who get into modern bands that call themselves punk, prog or psych easily fall into that trap of retro revival, instead of abiding by the original spirit of doing something completely different from everybody else. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of that. There's a lot more love and acceptance of the real concept behind psychedelic in music than you think. And if you really dig Coven, you should check out Black Widow and their album "Sacrifice" from 1970. They were pretty much doing the same thing that Coven was doing concurrently in the UK, although I don't think either band was aware of each other. And also unlike Coven, Black Widow never had a big hit single, but their live show from that year is well documented and really worth checking out if you're interested in digging into the Satanic psychedelic rabbit hole even further.

[@comettamer]

"One tin soldier" is a medieval set song about a knight being the only one left alive after a super bloody battle in which the valley folk slaughtered the mountain folk for their treasure. The treasure being peace, which the mountain folk valued above all. That also explains why the horns make more sense in the song.

[@jvsweet177]

If I had to choose a Halloween one-hit wonder, I'd go with "Love Me Dead" by Ludo. But this was a fun surprise!

[@RedQueenCreative_Roxie]

My boyfriend actually loves this group and we saw them a few years ago in San Francisco. Jinx is still touring as Coven! Was a totally rad show!

[@fntthesmth423]

11:32 "I feel like proper diplomatic communication could have prevented this" Every harem anime

[@Aleph3575]

12:28 I think the theme here is that the Mountain People didn't actually have a treasure, the Valley people just thought they did because they were angry and jealous that the Mountain People might have had something they didn't/weren't allowed to have. So the Valley People attacked and killed everyone, only to find out that there wasn't a treasure at all. Kinda like in the movie "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou?" where the main character talks the other two into breaking out of jail with him for a secret treasure that was gonna be buried under a lake, only for him to have to come clean towards the end of the movie that there wasn't actually a treasure. He was just trying to stop his wife from divorcing him, and he had to talk the other two into coming with him because they were chained together, so he made up the treasure. It really sucked for one of them because he was literally days away from getting released when they broke out.

[@countrymc7926]

Prediction what his pop review for Halloween will be? I think Starboy vs Heathens

[@KrisRN23935]

Please be Heathens...

[@sonnydigital5709]

Starboy > Heathens, no doubt.

[@neoman289151]

Starboy vs. Heathens clearly.

[@KrisRN23935]

Victor Viridian Oh... I see now.

[@Ozae88]

Sonny Digital I don't get the appeal of Starboy.

[@CazTheGamerGuy]

To the "One Todd Soldier" behind this, we salute yonder efforts for resurrecting the demon known as "One Hit Wonderland: Spooktacular Edition".

[@Moscato_Moscato]

Wow...I see we're playing that heathen devil music again...

[@CheeseCakeLuv-ny9vc]

Deebo Molina but... Heathen devil music is awesome!

[@Merlewhitefire]

This wasn't.

[@Moscato_Moscato]

Merlewhitefire (I'm being sarcastic)

[@Moscato_Moscato]

CheeseCake.Luv Not in my swamp! *grabs belt*

[@necceccess]

*Plays this record backwards* "Get a fucking life....also Satan" SEE, SEE, I KNEW THIS WAS THE DEVILS MOOSIC!!

[@l.salisbury1253]

I bought this CD directly from Jinxie herself: "Out of Thy Vault"- a collection of Coven's outtakes & demos. I told Jinx I really enjoyed the romantic ballad "midnight man". She told me it was interesting I found a song about waiting for a drug dealer to be the stand out track!! I'm like "WHOA!! Back up a minute!!" I suggested maybe she should've titled it "waiting for my midnight man"!!

[@ThatTransMuffinOfficial]

Apparently Fine Art Films, who did this and other animations for the Sonny and Cher show, also did the opening credits for Grease as well as the Carol Burnett show.

[@theoneandonlymichaelmccormick]

This sounds like a more sarcastic song from School House Rock.

[@VibesAntagonist]

Damn, never would have expected Coven to end up on here... shame about their second album, debut was great, now I need to check out Blood on the Snow

[@esmeisme921]

I never heard of Coven before this. Thank you, Todd. I love your work.

[@stevencuevas3563]

The first LP Destroys Minds is a brilliant cult classic . I found a used copy for 99 cents in the early 80s and sold it for about $500 in the 2010s. But I had since found a duplicate vinyl copy 🤘🏽

[@87CHUD]

That just blew me away because I am familiar with their first album, but knew nothing of their work after it. Thanks Todd, Happy Post Samhain, Proto Metal Rules, keep on rockin in the free world and DOOT DOOTLE DOOT DOOT-

[@JamesOhGoodie]

HOLY SHIT I didn't recognize this song until the Sonny & Cher segment! HOW DO I REMEMBER THIS?!

[@Karl_Marksman]

love the breakdown of the most convoluted message ever in a song

[@aacsmiles]

Anyone else getting major School house Rock vibes from this song?

[@robinchesterfield42]

From the cartoon video, definitely.

[@JennaLeigh]

Super late reply but yes, the animation in the video definitely favors SHR!

[@Calvin.of.Martin.Street]

I saw "Billy Jack" at a drive-in theater as a young child. Also, in the very late 1980s and early 1990s I worked as a DJ at an adult contemporary formatted radio station. This song was in our "low frequency" playlist, which means it was an oldie that wasn't played often. Anyway, I played this song one night and the next day the local news station announced we were playing Satanic rock and roll. I'm totally serious. The phones were flooded with calls demanding everything from removing the song to threats of burning down the radio station. In friggin' 1990.

[@DiamandaHagan]

FUCK YEAH! FUCKING LOVE COVEN!

[@HossTheSlop]

Saw Coven in Seattle a couple years ago. They were awesome.

[@roseofhybrids]

the first couple times I heard it, I somehow misheard the chorus and thought it went "god hates your neighbor, go ahead and cheat a friend, do it in the name of heaven, you can justify it in the end"

[@MichaelAarons1701]

This footage is actually from Sonny & Cher when Cher performed a cover of the song on the show. Someone on KZbin synced the video to both Coven and Original Caste's versions of the song to give something to look at. Also, Original Caste did it better.

[@p47thunderbolt68]

I remember that . I was probably 12 years old but I remember that .

[@chrismulwee4911]

@@p47thunderbolt68 Sonny and Cher used it on their Christmas special but the version seen here with Coven is the actual thing, Watch it to the very end and it says "One Tin Soldier" Music and Lyrics by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter; sung by Coven. That appears right before the Fine Arts Films logo. However you two ARE right about THE ORIGINAL CASTE recording to the video being a sync up,

[@jenniferschillig3768]

@@chrismulwee4911 I think the animated video (John Wilson's Fine Arts Films did quite a few of these animated music videos for the Sonny & Cher show) did show up on Sonny & Cher with their cover dubbed over it--and went into "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" right after the last verse, hence the Christmas star at the end. But I think it was originally made with the Coven original.

[@3liony]

It's amazing that Todd sounds so clear considering how far back his mic looks. I don't know if this has been in all his recent videos but I just now noticed it.

[@sammcguire3798]

I thought you'd do the ghost buster's theme or the fallout boy cover

[@SummerTulip78]

Sam McGuire same here. the fallout boy one has Missy Elliott rap as the saving grace

[@sammcguire3798]

Summer Paradis Still terrible tho

[@Enchie]

Summer Paradis Still could be used to torture someone.

[@KaijaSchmauss]

The Walk the Moon version was a better cover tbh. It stayed true to the original style (which is pretty similar to Walk the Moon's stuff anyway) but was just different enough to be unique.

[@GunstarHeroes777]

Ray Parker Jr isn't a one-hit wonder, that's the issue.

[@sillygrl23]

The music video looked like something out of early 70s animated segments on Sesame Street. Also, OMG! I remember seeing that movie "Billy Jack", my ex-friend's Mom was dating a guy who had that movie and I watched it with his family when I stayed over at their house. I thought it was so obscure no one else knew it existed until now....

[@samfeldstein4498]

Reminds me a bit more of Schoolhouse Rock to me but I could kind of see a bit of Sesame Street too.

[@christopherb501]

I swear, nobody else can write, frame and edit total plot swerves like Mr. In the Shadows. Dear gods, was this a wonderful twist in the narrative.

[@bigoldinosaur]

The first time I saw the music video for "One Tin Soldier" I thought it was an episode of "Schoolhouse Rock" that I had never seen.

[@joshuaramirez1420]

this is really surreal... I've always liked toddintheshadows, and I've loved this song for sentimental reasons, but never did I EVER think they would intertwine.

[@nritsch]

Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls has to be one of the best album titles.

[@Spodumene]

Oh wow, I remember this song. My parents played all kinds of older songs when I was growing up, so hearing this again is a surprise. Thanks Todd

[@archimmes]

I would love a one hit wonder review of "Hell" by squirrel nut zippers!

[@CatLives9]

archimmes HELL YES !!!

[@marginallymuted7400]

I instantly recognized the melody once it played, but wasn't sure why I had heard of it. Then you said the original was a number one hit in Canada.

[@damianprice8422]

I love the song, especially the 'me first and the gimme gimmes' cover, which I'm surprised that version wasn't used at the end. also, especially since me first also did a cover of the Anne Murray song used as a clip in this video.

[@LimZero0]

Killdozer > Me First And The Gimme Gimmes

[@outbacker1]

I'm impressed there's no easily available video on this song, except for the Sonny & Cher animation. The early 70's were probably the last time you could find a charting band with almost no video footage. Fascinating background for this song, and we did sing this when I was in elementary school at a Lutheran school. And true on the Valley Folks, can't trust them :)

[@Music_games_history]

I didn't think Todd would be a fan of metal. I'm pleasantly surprised.

[@man4437]

I like how this show introduced me to artists I really like. Like the Darkness, Wall of Voodoo, and this show wasn't where I heard of them, but I listen to the Vapors because of the episode on Turning Japanese. There's also others.

[@myself2noone]

Only an stuck up mountain person would forget to mention Sabaton in a list about Metal and war.

[@gwyneth2869]

Eddie the Head talking about proto metal otherwise whole heartedly agree THROUGH THE GATES OF HELL ON OUR WAY TO HEAVEN THROUGH THE NAZI LINES PRIMO VICTORIA

[@smequals]

My school had a music teacher who came to my 4th grade class once a week to have us sing songs from mimeographed sheets of lyrics she gathered from somewhere (early 80’s). This was the most popular song we sang - everyone seemed to think it was great and we requested it every class. Had no idea of its origin or backstory. Good times.

[@JennyCThree]

Canadians picture ourself as the mountain people (no fighting, anti-war, peacekeeping efforts) and the valley people are kind of our perception of Americans.

[@beautifulmidnight]

TheGreaterGood80 Baw. Cry more, Trump bitch.

[@mouselet]

I love this song so much! One of my favorite 45s! I never knew that Coven's version was a cover too, as I first heard it via Mad Parade's cover.

[@jaredandell126]

In all honesty, if you wanted to review a spooky Halloween-esque song for Halloween, the up-and-coming band Ghost won a Grammy for their song, "Cirice" and recently released a new song that has been getting some mild radio play called "Square Hammer." I'd still recommend reviewing either of those songs, however I feel like this was a missed opportunity to do it.

[@dominusfornax]

5:01 I deeply appreciate references like this. You videos are great. If I had any money I would send you some. But for now, I'll just say "Great job, man"

[@Chronicpatchkids]

One Hit Wonder: Pumped Up Kicks

[@aliteralgodamongmen4521]

Superhero Fan they do still make music and one of their more recent songs got pretty popular not sure if it touched the carts but technicly they still could have a second hit.

[@SeanStrife]

Suggesting Foster The People is like suggesting Smash Mouth; it's a dumb idea.

[@AllenbysEyes]

This is the perfect birthday gift, Todd. Thanks!

[@Natendowii]

Do you think for next year's one hit Wonderland spooktacular you'll finally touch "She Blinded me with Science?"

[@DavidMChannel]

I have to admit, I actually really do like this song. with that said, I did NOT expect the singers to be anything like what Coven are like. talk about.a shock